Strategizing corporate social responsibility: evidence from an Italian medium-sized, family-owned company.

Perrini, Francesco, and Mario Minoja. "Strategizing corporate social responsibility: evidence from an Italian medium-sized, family-owned company." Business Ethics: A European Review 17, no. 1 (January 2008): 47-63.

CSR is becoming a mainstream issue as both researchers and managers are realizing its importance, but knowledge gaps persist. Specifically, the processes underlying the adoption of responsible managerial practices and the effects associated with them are still at the center of the debate. This paper finds three basic answers to encompass theoretical and managerial concerns over the integration of CSR into strategy. First, beliefs and value systems of entrepreneurs, as well as their past experiences, seem to play a fundamental role in shaping responsible corporate strategy. In fact, conditions leading to competitive advantage tend to coincide with those enhancing CSR. Next, the importance and extent of the relationship between social performance and financial performance depend on the consistency between CSR programs and policies adopted and the kind of competitive strategy that has been selected. Last, people need to be aware of it. CSR strategies must be explicit and worked into specific managerial procedures.